UNBS destroys Shs2.5b substandard products

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) Friday destroyed 232 metric tonnes of substandard goods worth Shs 2.5 billion.
UNBS says the products that were destroyed had been confiscated from across the country this financial year 2019/2020 during an inspection conducted by the bureau's market surveillance and imports Inspection department.

The products that were destroyed in Nakasongola include food stuffs, iron sheets, cosmetics, cement, toilet paper, polythene bags, electronics and alcohol among others, according to Ms Sylvia Kirabo, the bureau’s Principal Public Relations Officer
According to UNBS, about 54 per cent of products on the market are either fake or counterfeits, which places them at a high probability of being substandard.
Last year, UNBS destroyed substandard products worth Shs300 million, while in 2018 products worth Shs 3.5 billion were destroyed.

The increasing substandard products on the market is a concern for UNBS. The agency has recently warned of expired goods in shops as a result of lengthy COVID-19 lockdown.

Ms Kirabo said Ugandans should be more vigilant and read labels on what they are purchasing.
UNBS carries out routine inspections in fulfilment of their mandate of enforcing standards in protection of public health and safety, and the environment against dangerous and substandard products.
A substandard product is one that does not meet the general and technical specifications required by the standard and as such considered to be inferior or of poor quality.

According to UNBS regulations, all locally produced items should be certified by this agency before they get on the market while imports should be inspected and cleared by their country of origin before they are let into the country.